


The Red Winter

by Thegreenlanternslight



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 17:27:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2356532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreenlanternslight/pseuds/Thegreenlanternslight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to my first big Fic attempt. Please let me have any corrections, any encouragement, but most importantly any constructive criticism.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first big Fic attempt. Please let me have any corrections, any encouragement, but most importantly any constructive criticism.

                                                                                                        Prologue  
      Tony Stark would soon be dead. With the Iron Man suit only able to keep him alive for the next three minutes at best Tony knew he was running out of options. As Steve and a still green Bruce brought him into the upper most floor of Avengers tower Tony ran through every one of those limited choices in his head and started to realize that the best one would put him at the most risk.  
      Natasha, Clint, and Thor came in behind them, all frantically moving things around as they placed Tony on the medic table. It had been Tony who emphasized the need to go back to Avengers tower after the fight had been finished. While the team had taken a mighty beating they had not expected Tony to suffer such critical injury.  
      A routine mission  
      A few simple enemies  
      Before, these directives passed on from Natasha’s contact seemed like they were certain enough, but once the fighting began the team realized they had been set up. After a few hours of fighting through the Hydra base though it looked like victory was certain and Steve gave the order to finish the mission.  
     That’s when the bomb rocked the room tony had just secured.  
Now, with little energy and even less time, Tony knew he had one option if he was staring down death.  
     “Jarvis! Initiate the phoenix protocol.”  
     “Yes sir, and I wish you the best of luck.” Jarvis’ voice possessed the slightest amount of both respect and admiration for Tony as he fell unconscious.  
Without warning an Iron man suit came out of no where and began to secure Tony to the table. With a few clean movements, the suit retrieved a small kit from a locked security cabinet and produced from it a large needle.  
     “Tony! What is that? What are you doing?” Steve watched as the calm expressionless suit began to place the needle in Tony’s arm.  
     “Mr. Stark has prepared options in the event of him sustaining great injury. It requires you all remove yourselves from the Lab in case any of his calculations result in an accidental explosion.”  
Before any of the team could resist Thor and another suit ushered Steve, Clint, and Natasha out of the room and behind the doors. As they left Steve and Bruce caught a glimpse of the suit delivering the last drop of what had been in the syringe to Tony’s bloody arm,  
    As the doors slammed together all the Avengers could hear was a scream coming from inside as Tony’s best hope for surviving the night coursed through him.


	2. Echoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any encouragement or constructive criticism that is positive will keep me writing. I have great plans for this fic.

     The cold grabbed at the windows as Annalie brought the young man in from the night. It had been a winter so painfully freezing that most of the women could be found hidden by the fire or tucked away in their rooms. The evening had shown them few customers scattered across their collection of tables, those who had taken refugee from the night were either drunk or tucked away in bed.  
      The building wasn’t too big. It held a small sitting room off to the side, a large serving area opposite the main entryway, and a stairwell that lead up to a second floor and even further up an attic. The rustic feel gave the building it’s well known appearance. The building was old. This combined with the establishment’s lack of anything more modern than electric lights and an old telephone made it the perfect place to pass the time. On this particular night though, it was the perfect place to hide.  
      “Polski?” asked Annalie. She was well aware of the stature the man had and she took his serious expression to mean that he was coming in with purpose, of what sort she didn’t guess.  
      “Wolę angielsku.” The stranger said. His voice both quiet and intense.  
      “If that suites you then.” Said Annalie with a smile, switching mental gears to the stranger’s language of choice. She chose to try and offer some of the charm she was known for in the area. If nothing it would make what was going to be a painful interaction easier on her. “Can I get you anything?”  
      “Water… and bread.” The request came with an odd hesitation.  
      “Indeed friend, take a place where you like.” Annalie gestured at the collection of tables sitting in the room opposite them. The man took his place in a corner that oversaw every entrance around them. His eyes darting around quickly before he sat down and removed something from his pocket.  
      Annalie’s muscle memory could only be described as impeccable. While her curiosity could only be described as limitless. She took the chance to feed her curiosity and study the stranger’s features.  
      A few day’s stubble and bangs that were just a touch too long gave the man a very rough appearance but upon really taking the opportunity to observe him, Anna could tell the man was focusing on something important. His eyes darted across what she realized was a screen as she walked back to him with a small basket and a water glass.  
      Looking up only to nod slightly the man was flicking through pages of internet articles. “Ladies man,” “kind,” “devoted,” all seeming to be present in either the headlines or the text.  
Annalie remembered the advice of her mother, “Don’t let your curiosity get you in trouble!” She snapped away from the thought just as she realized she had been staring for just a second too long and the man was glaring at her cautiously.  
      “My apologies,” managed Anna as the man set the screen down and rested his hand on his hip with one fluid motion.  
      His intense stare was the only response until Anna asked, “Anything else for now?” Anna could only silently pray that he would not be after what she thought he was. He only shook his head in the slightest way and she crossed the room as quickly as possible, returning to the duties at hand.

 

     It was within that hour that Annalie once again heard knocking accompanied by a boisterous collection of voice and laughter from outside. She was cleaning the bar and doing her best to observe the intense stranger when she first heard them.  
     “Kommen Sie jetzt! Schnell!” as she crossed the room she noticed the man tense up greatly but otherwise remain still. “Geduld, werde ich zusammen sein!” she all but shouted to the door. She threw the door open with enough haste to hurry in three large men, greeting each one with an enthusiastic “Guten abend!”  
     Hearing the chatter of the three men made Annalie a little more at ease from serving the stranger, who retained both his heavy coat and gloves despite being in the only warm building in Poland. The three had introduced themselves as Klaus, a fellow who was rather portly, Yan, who was tall and muscular, and Joseph, who had a big booming voice.  
      The three took seats near the fire when offered the room with tables and all took generous helpings of soup, beer, and bread when offered. Annalie spoke with them all about the evening they had up until that point. The clock read near midnight but Anna could chat with them through the evening. As the hour they were there became two and then three she lost track of time and realized morning would be along soon enough.  
      As the men conversed though, Anna realized that their presence set the other man on edge. He appeared to be watching them carefully as they chatted away.  
      “Might I ask, are you alright friend?” Anna asked with just the smallest amount of sheepishness in her voice. The time was nearing three and the quiet man had only taken a few pieces of bread as he continued to scan his device.  
      “There not drinking.”  
      “Pardon? They have been drinking all night.”  
      The young man sat silent for a second before one of the Germans had looked over at him. Though initially appearing friendly the tall man’s smile faded into a focused gaze as he and the soldier made eye contact.  
      Though aware that their friend was affixed on something else the two men kept speaking for the next moment. In the exchange one grabbed at the glass he had and offered a toast. Amongst the words he gave to his comrade, one phrase in particular stood out though.  
“…Der Winter Soldier!”  
      In an instant the young man jumped to his feet with a handgun drawn and threw the table across the room. He leapt around to the bar and used it as cover while the Germans all pulled weapons from their coats. The speed of the exchange meant that only the tall man had realized what his foe was doing in time to react. Yan threw himself across the room with his pistol in hand.  
      As quickly as the fire fight erupted, it ended. The young man crossed the room with a few quick leaps and bounds and took out two of the Germans with well-placed close range shots. Yan had managed to grab ahold of Anna who had taken refugee behind the flipped table.  
      As he lifted the gun to her temple Yan barked out in a heavily accented English, “If you are the soldier than you should give up quietly and we will let her go.”  
      Moving slowly, The Winter Soldier kept his gun leveled at his opponent and considered his action carefully. He took no noticeable pain from the thought of Anna being hurt but knew if he used her as a shield he might have enough time to fire a shot.  
      As the Soldier wordlessly calculated his move he made eye contact with Anna who appeared to be silently focusing on a spot on the wall above the bar.  
In the next second Anna’s eyes began to glow and with the expertise of someone who had been an experienced weapon she twisted out of Yan’s grasp, disarmed him, and knocked him out all in one motion. Her eyes flared again and she spun to level the gun at the stranger.  
      “Who are you?” The soldier asked with a focused curiosity.  
      “I would venture the more important question as who are you? Were they after you?”  
      “I believe so. They must be mercenaries, the people they work for are a much bigger threat.”  
      “Are the people they work for coming?!”  
      Before Anna could get an answer the soldier was out the door and running. Anna tailed him out into the cold but soon found that to be a mistake. As she started down the path towards the rest of the village she got the answer to her question.  
      The Soldier was facing down a small army and he was trying to fight himself to safety. As gifted as he was the man was captured by a team of seemingly expert men.  
Anna turned to run but found herself face to face with a man in what she could only describe as a skeleton mask.  
      “Hello there. I think you should come along.”


End file.
